The family of the shooter who opened fire at a bank in Louisville is seeking to legally destroy the AR-15 rifle that he used to murder five of his coworkers.
In Kentucky, the law mandates that law enforcement agencies auction off seized weapons and utilize the proceeds to acquire equipment for the police force.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg has criticized this law, stating that he believes it could lead to the circulation of murder weapons once again.
During the incident last week, Greenberg expressed concern that “under Kentucky’s current law, a murder weapon will one day be back on the streets.”
Greenberg, who was himself targeted by an attacker during his mayoral campaign last year, has been exploring alternatives that would render crime weapons useless once they are confiscated by the police.
The family of 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, who was fatally shot by a responding police officer in the bank’s lobby, was “aghast” to learn that the AR-15 could go back into circulation.
They are now working to ensure that the rifle is destroyed, and federal agents have already taken possession of it.
Common-sense gun safety measures
In a statement released by a family spokesman, the Sturgeon family called for common-sense gun safety measures to be enacted and urged the Kentucky state legislature to change the law to remove the gun auction provision.
They are taking vigorous action to see that the rifle is destroyed and prevent it from being used again.
Last year, Kentucky State Police conducted an auction of confiscated guns that raised almost $174,000.
The confiscated guns are purchased at these auctions by federally licensed gun dealers.
Among the victims of the shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville was Tommy Elliott, a friend of Greenberg’s and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
In addition to the fatalities, the shooting also left eight people injured, including rookie police officer Nick Wilt who sustained a gunshot wound to the head. As of this week, Officer Wilt remains in critical condition and is battling pneumonia, while the other seven hospitalized individuals have been released.